Hello Steemit,

I AM Hive account@theessential

So ironically- after making a post about influenza, I come down with a nasty illness that knocks me out of commission for a week. With that being said, I’ve been taking a little break from Steemit, in regards to posting. I just needed some time to feel better and get my head strait before making more content.

A “Model Steemian”

Today I wanted to talk about some of things that are bringing unnecessary clutter to the Steemit platform and some steemians that we could learn from. We’re talking about things that are holding people back from having any real success here.

Now I’m now going to toot my own horn. I am not making hundreds of dollars on every post- nor am I the “Model Steemian”. I once started writing for a contest for Steem Power delegation. You were supposed to talk about how you were a “Model Steemian” and why you deserved the delegated Steem Power. Well, I don’t deserve it, not yet at least. I wrote a few hundred words and then decided that maybe this contest deserved a better winner than me. I’m not saying that I was going to win, I just wanted to take myself out of the running. I am not perfect and I’ve yet to figure out who I am in regards to being a “Model Steemian”.

With that being said, I have learned some things....

There is a clear distinction between those who are successful here and those who aren’t. I’m not talking about the rewards, I’m talking about the content they’re contributing to the Steemit community.

Steemit is like a game. I would compare it to chess but it’s a game of only two players and Steemit has many players competing for a piece of the reward pool. Hmm... maybe Steemit is more like Risk, and the reward pool is like the land. We are all competing for a larger piece of the land. We roll the dice and hope that our posts gain enough ground.

So why do we keep rolling deuces, while Hive account@adsactly and Hive account@exyle are hitting large numbers every time?

Well, it’s obvious that success has a sort of snowball effect here on Steemit. Once traction is gained, there is no stopping large amount of momentum that is behind these big players.

But what about you??

You are a great technical analyst and you make posts all the time that are just as good as Hive account@haejin’s right? Maybe your even putting hours into these posts...

Or maybe you are out there making awesome videos like Hive account@joeparys..

How come Hive account@adsactly’s posts are always making hundreds of dollars and landing on the trending pages?

Yet, all of your posts are making $0.01 on payday.

First of all, you just got here. Nobody knows you and you have only a few followers. Hive account@adsactly has over 17,000 followers. They all know and trust the content that comes from that Steemian.

This is because Hive account@adsactly has been around since the beginning. In May of 2016, Hive account@adsactly was just like you, a minnow.

You could say that maybe there was an advantage of being here from the beginning. There was certainly less competition...

Also, the price of Steem was much lower than it was today.

Photo curtesy of CoinMarketCap.com

But think about it..

The people who were here at the beginning not only had an advantage of being here first, they had the disadvantage of having to pioneer the standard of quality that we would eventually see here.

Do you think they were making big bucks then?

No, they weren’t. The value of Steem was less than a dollar and Steem dollars were at their originally pegged amount of $1.00- actually a little less for a while.

Would you have stuck around?

Steemit was new. Nobody knew if it would have any success at all. Sure, plenty of people believed in what Steemit might be, but nobody knew for sure. Would you have had the will to persevere.

The originally Steemians like Hive account@adsactly, Hive account@exyle, and Hive account@aggroed have laid the groundwork for the Steemit platform we have today.

Today they are being rewarded for the hard work and dedication they have put into it from the beginning.

Not only that, but a lot of these successful Steemians have taken it upon themselves to collaborate with others to make projects that aid to help newer Steemians who show potential. They have created ways to get noticed and have support. Without these projects, a lot of the successful Steemians that are out there today wouldn’t exist- or you could at least argue that they might not have the success that they have today if it wasn’t for these helpful projects.

Suffice to say, if a Steemian is working hard and making quality posts, they will eventually gain the success they deserve with or without the help of these projects.

We cannot go back in time and become one of these Steemit pioneers- but we can learn how to be a “Model Steemit”.

Hive account@joeparys did not join in 2016, he joined a year later in 2017. I consider Hive account@joeparys to be a “Model Steemian”. If you haven’t followed him, I strongly advise that you do.

One of the things that Hive account@joeparys does, is Power Up his Steem. This is something that shows that he believes in the Steemit platform and it’s future. He has on multiple occasions expressed his belief in this Blockchain and it shows on his public wallet. If you go and check out Hive account@joeparys’s wallet right now and look at his transactions- you will see that he quite frequently powers up his Steem.

Another thing that Hive account@joeparys does, is offering professional advice for those who want to be successful. He makes consistent, quality content almost daily that helps others who are seeking the questions he answers. On a side note, Hive account@joeparys has recently cut back his posts to about 1 every 3 days. This was to ensure the exceptional quality standard he seeks to achieve in his posts.

So, we have looked at some of those who have had success here..but there is another important component of being a successful Steemian.

The Quality of a Comment

Many of you know exactly what I am about to say when it comes to commenting. First off, commenting is the number one way to build a reputation here on Steemit. This is the main way to spread your voice around the platform and encourage others to engage you.

This brings me to a problem that I see in almost every single comment section of every single posts I read.

Low quality comments.

This is something that I have spoken about in the past. When people make posts regarding tips on how to be successful on Steemit, commenting frequently is almost always near the top.

What is often misunderstood is that quality goes a LOT further than quantity when it comes to commenting. I can almost guarantee that hundreds of comments like “Great Job” and “Nice Post” will do absolute nothing to improve your status here on Steemit. If anything, it will diminish your reputation and result in you getting flagged for spam.

A good solid comment could make you just as much as a post you worked hours on. When your starting out, commenting will make you more than your posts- if you do it right.

Here’s some simple guidelines:

• Read the post in its entirety before commenting

• Only comment if you have something to say in regards to it’s content. If all you can think of is “Nice post”, then leave it alone.

• Take the time to be thoughtful and thought provoking. Consider what you have to offer to the author of the posts. What can you say that will engage the author and the other readers? Do you have experience that you can offer?

• Respond to others who have taken the time to make thoughtful comments. Read them and engage them.

• Do not incite conflict on someone’s post. This is not your battlefield. If you want to argue with other readers, do it on your own posts.

If you look at Hive account@canadian-coconut’s blog, you will see a prime example of what quality commenting looks like. She takes the time to read posts that she is interested in. Then, she makes amazing, thoughtful comments that offer the authors insight about their topic. She consistently lands her comments at the top of posts and is rewarded for her kind, impactful words.

Hive account@canadian-coconut is someone who engages the community effectively and makes an effort to do so. I would strongly suggest following her and paying attention to the way she comments- not to mention her quality blog posts as well.

Speaking of Quality Blog Posts

We are only as valuable as the content we contribute to the community. If we have nothing of value to add to the already very colourful community, you will fade into the background.

Let’s say you are a photographer or cinematographer. You have decided that your main focus will be to post pictures a video that you have taken personally.

Before you start posting your photos, let’s think about how you can ensure that what your doing is meeting the standard for quality that we see here.

A photo is not unique here. Even the most amazing photo can be trumped by one important detail.

This is the background and the story.

If you start making post after post with one photo and no explanation, nobody will be interested in what you have to offer. It’s bad Steemit etiquette to post photos without offering any other explanation or story to back it up.

We have all seen accounts that posts many photos and has nothing else connected to it. These kind of posts rarely do well, they do not create the kind of reputation for quality that someone who really puts in the effort does.

People have even gone as far to say that these kind of posts have actually ruined the #photography hashtag and cluttered it up with nonsensical, thoughtless posts.

Take a look at Hive account@velimir, he often makes posts including photographs. You will never see him post a photo without a lengthy, enjoyable backstory tied to it. He posts photos and then recreates the backdrop so you can not only look at the photo but also to visualize the whole landscape with his words. Hive account@velimir is an excellent writer and his posts consistently reflect that. I highly recommend that you follow him and look at the quality of his posts.

Hive account@spenceryan joined Steemit several weeks ago. He is a photographer and cinematographer that consistently has posted nothing but quality from day one. He has done very well in the short time he has been here on Steemit. I have seen his posts on the “hot” and “trending” section quite often. This is because he takes a lot of time to ensure that what he posts is solid and a good addition to the Steemit community. Not only that, but he also heavily supports Steemit and Dtube in all his content. This is a way to pay homage for platform that has rewarded his hard work. If you aren’t following Hive account@spenceryan, I strongly suggest that you do- especially if you are a photographer, or videographer/ cinematographer.. Honestly, Hive account@spenceryan posts on many topics for a wide audiences. I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy what he has to offer.

A Quick Tip

Good quality posts take time to create. Time isn’t something that everybody has. I have a family and have to find time when I can to post content. Sure, I could make post after post of low quality spam in hopes of making a few cents but I’d rather use the little time I have to create decent posts when I can. There may be a better solution to do this but one problem I face is that I must pause....

And then pick up where I left off writing a post later on. If you do this on Steemit, you can very easily loose all of your progress. If lost an entire article that I’ve written before for this very reason.

To combat this issue, I will select all, then copy my entire posts and paste it into an email. The I send the email to myself. Now I have a copy of my article that I can paste back into Steemit and finish at my earliest convenience.

Even just copying your entire article every 10 min or so will ensure that you have the ability to paste your backup if need be.

The point is that you should be taking time on your posts. Most of my posts take my at least a couple hours- sometimes more. I want my words to be meaningful and the reader to connect with what I’m saying.

Speaking of Connecting With The Readers

Connecting to your audience takes time and consistency. Your following will become loyal when you follow through with your end of the bargain. The people who are successful here on Steemit always come through on their content and their audience knows what to expect. Their followers will gladly give their upvotes to them because they respect the work that they put into every post.

Hive account@michelle.gent is a writer here on Steemit. I’ve mentioned her before because I believe in her work here. She’s a great example of what it takes to connect with the audience. Every single day Hive account@michelle.gent makes excellent posts that captivate and intrigue her followers. Not only that, but she takes the time to answer questions and engage her following in the comment section. She’s not afraid to show her teeth (no pun intended for the writer of werewolf novels), so I wouldn’t suggest spamming her comment section with thoughtless crap. Her followers are no doubt loyal, and wait anxiously for her next chapter or next story. I definitely recommend that you check her out. There is plenty to be learned from her writing quality and community engagement.

When It Comes Down to it

There are many things you can do to improve your chances for success here on Steemit. What it comes down to is making and effort and putting your heart into everything you do here. It takes time and dedication to do anything worthwhile. If you are serious about Steemit, you will no doubt give it that same kind of passion.

I am still new here and I’ve yet to make any huge impact on the community, but I’m working at it. I’m working hard and paying attention to those who I’ve mentioned above. These people continue to inspire me every day to continue to work hard.

I may not quite have the validity to give advice on success here but those people do. I don’t have thousands of followers or large payouts yet but when I speak, you hear the real me. When you read my comments and my posts- there is nothing but my voice in those words.

If nothing else, I want the Steemit to see that my voice Is fueled by passion and motivated by sincerity.

Everybody here on Steemit wants the same things at the end of the day. They want to be able to come here and find awesome, quality entertainment. The best way to ensure that this is what you will find here is to “model” the kind of content you wish to see. If you see problems- Be the change...

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